Supporting device



atented ec. 14, 1948 2,456,302 SUPPORTING DEVICE Lammer-MM. Mpcnik, Cleveland, Ohio Application August 16, 1944, Serial No. 549,723

1 This invention relates to and an .object is to provide a supporting device .or .clip on which sheet material such as paper may be readily mounted or suspended without requiring fasten.- `ers or other means likely to crease, perforate or lotherwise damage the material.

Another object is to provide a supporting de.- vice such as :outlined above having. an improved means for mounting of the sameas on a wall, table or other base.

A further object is to provide, in combination, -a supporting device for paper or the like made from adjacent spiral turns of spring wire-and a lbracket cooperating with one or'more of the turns or coils of wire -:for holding the device mounted or operating position.

Still another object is to provide a lcoiled spring wire supporting device or clip for 'sheet material incorporating an improved means to facilitate spreading of two or more of the coils-apart su-fcient distances to receive readily the material to 'besuppor-ted and to enable vrelease thereof lwith- ,out danger of damaging -the material,

A still further object is to `provide afclip or support of the character indicated r`above made-in one piece from coiled spring wire and having means for receiving a fastener substantially c entrally of the coils for holding the support in fixed mounted position as on a wall.

Other objects and 4features will become "apparent from the following description of theillustr-a# tive forms of the Adevice shown inthe drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a central longitudinal sectional view in a vertical plane of `the device in one -iorm and in enlarged sca-le;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of -a sheet metal attaching bracket for the wire portionof the .device in ythe same form;

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectionalv view of a somewhat modified form;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of a differ.-

ent form of the device made `in one piece 4troni coiled spring wire, and

Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal sectional `view of substantially the same form as-partiall-yshown by Fig. 4, but with modi-ned attaching-'bracket- -orming coils or turns of Wire.

Adjacent helical turns of spring `wire :(coil spring form) have been heretofore n.proposedror used for temporarily supporting sheet material, pencils and other articles. The `rmesent invention comprises an adaptation oi that :known .device and particularly comprises improvledrneanswfor utilizing it as a `clip or support .adaptedfto the is guided ,and viriationallv re:

. 2 rmly mounted on any surface capable of receiving and retaining .a vinstaller such as a nailfor screw..

Referring furthe-r to the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 Ashe-.wtnewsneet supper-.ting member l or the de'- vice in the igorm of a closely coiled wir@ spring. The coils, in the particular ,term shown, dr-ae iadfiameter toward one euduf vthe goil as'serellv 2, indicating the free end .or tpe con member when in Iattached or mounted posit'on. The termina-l coil 3 at the left, .1" it ment of this form .of device, mounted in .a .Ss-like Market .memabfer preferably of ril-reet .me-(tal and designed to receive .and retain substantially the .erlure ter# minal coil .3 behind the bracket to hold Said .toil and hence the `entire coil spring portion of the .devicermlv place @r1-a Wall `or other support to which the :bracket is attached asV will he described ,helovicv pracliet Las Shown `.particulaily in Figs l andchasa central discportion 5 apertured as at 45ste recente forgegample an yattach-lng Ascrew l' by which the bracket may he irmslv .Supported 01.1 fa Wall-9'. VThe wolikfretaining turns .of the coil spring portion .of the-.device indicated senerallyat 8; -Theqscpew or attaching device '1 can meanest .easily ,assembled VWit-h fthe @racket .be-fore the spring; coil-portion .of the ,device is attached -to .the bracket. rEhe '-IZeQQml-rlenlfd 'mnner of mounIti-ngthewdeviceuas.on .a wall fis first to screw or nail thefbnacket'into :place .and then yattach the coil/spring memberfto .the :bracket 'lheqbraclget ,4 ghas a. :laterally ,directed :circular flanged ilv at the margin of the central .disc portion 5, .the flange being continuous in the particular iorrn illustrated from .one side ogf a lout Aaway pontion A|l Fig.-2 ior the disc to the-other side .Qi said p0rfl'fon'.

in -orderto ,assist the 4flange lll :in [holding ythe terminal ,coil f3, thereare provided on the disc portiorre-,a seriesfoi cutstruls ,busses .Or'reroie- .tions 1.2shown as three in :number distriloutcd around the central opening .15.. Th-@Se me e'ed far .enoughout ,of `the Danepi the `centra por- .tion tot the-nice nearly totouh `.the ,of the sunporungnan pas shownnon Fia Thus-the centralzlpontionof the disc-is prevented from being .distorted out ,of itsproper position by zlhiprce ttl. @cil ts exerted by the `need :or -theeetener .gl-Ed.

rmer 11111@ Outer peripheral strictes.: Part ofthe v:termirwdc0111is@kunnenEta -..2 minitel eisereoly position with respect to the -bracke t1,. f,rom -wmon ,position the goil ..3 Amay 'he inserted' :into nnal position engagement with the entire .111-

ner surface of the flange I and into contact with all the projections I2 simply by initially positioning the spring coil part of the device as indicated above and then turning said part about its longitudinal axis. Preferably the fastener is not driven home against the disc until after assembly of the spring coil part therewith as described above and, after assembly, in Acase the fastener is a screw, a screw driver is passed through the coils and the screw further turned to cause the bracket to exert strong clamping force on the terminal coil 3. Preferably also the space provided for the terminal coil 3 between the disc and the face of the wall 9 is greater than the projected length of the flange I0 so that the edge Illa of the ange I0 does not engage the face of the supporting wall in such manner as to prevent the strong clamping force of the bracket against said terminal coil 3.

In the claims the flange I0 is said to be interrupted in order to receive the terminal coil. While only one such interruption is shown (provided by the cut-away portion I I) the iiange may be additionally interrupted at other places,

To provide a suitable handle at the free end of the coil member 2, one or more outer terminal coil or coils, one being shown at I4, is or are bent out.. wardly as at a right angle to the adjacent undistorted coil. The outwardly bent handle-forming terminal portion of the Wire need not necessarily be a loop such as constituted by the bent out terminal coil. The handle may be of any other suitable shape. Its purpose is to assist in spreading the coils apart as by lifting the handle, see Fig. 5, with an applied force such as indicated by the arrow A. When so spread the coils easily receive the material to be supported and the generally tapered form of the coil spring member is of advantage in that connection as will be obvious from Fig. 5. The work W, indicating for instance af piece of paper or a card, is moved into contact with one of the coils as in the direction of the arrow B, Fig. 5, until it abuts one of the coils which is spread apart from its adjacent coil; and then by movement of the work at right angles to the direction B, the work is inserted into final supported position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, being strongly gripped between adjacent coils 8.

The construction shown by Fig. 3 differs from that of Figs. 1 and 2 mainly in the direction in l which the flange IIla on Fig. 3 is turned with reference to the central disc portion a of the bracket. As shown the flange I0a is curled in order to receive the terminal coil 3 somewhat in the manner of a female thread although it is, of course, not necessary that such female thread effect have any inclination or pitch since in turning the terminal coil into the embrace of the curled flange, said coil will be sprung out of its normal inclined or pitched position. The flange IIIa. could be formed as a male thread eiect for engagement with the inside surfaces of the wire coil or coils as desired and in any event either one or more coils may be frictionally engaged by the flange.

The flange Illa could be interrupted exactly asv shown in Fig. 2, that is, by a cut-away portion I I of the bracket, or in any other suitable manner.

The under side of the central disc portion of the bracket may be concave so that if the head of the fastener flattens the disc portion against the surface of the supporting wall 9, the flange I0 is given a further tendency to grip the terminal coil rmly.

If the inner diameter of the curled ange is somewhat smaller than the outer diameter of the 4 terminal coil 3 there will be sufficient frictional force exerted by the wire against the inner surfaces of the flange to hold the coiled wire member firmly in position without the employment of additional wire engaging means such as afforded by the projections I2, although, of course, in the form shown in Fig. 3, said projections or a circular rib could Ibe provided for such additional frictional engagement purposes.

As an alternative method of attaching the coiled spring member (see Figs. 4 and 5) one or more turns of wire (one shown in Fig. 4 at I5 and several shown in Fig. 5 at I'Sa and I5b) are brought inwardly toward the axis of the member I and form an eyelet or supporting loop or pad for receiving the shank of the attaching fastener la. If several closely adjacent or abutting turns of the wire are used to form the eyelet the relatively outer turns I5b may be employed to brace or buttress the inner one I5a which receives the fastener shank.

In the case of forming the attaching base from the wire stock, as described in connection with Figs. 4 and 5, the handle loop is disposed suiciently eccentric to the axis of the coils generally so as not to prevent the head of the fastener from being easily passed through the outer or free terminal coil and so as not to obstruct the free passage of a screw driver or nail set through the coils. The coils I5a and I5b, Fig. 5, are preferably in mutual contact but they need not be.

With the present device the sheet material to be supported is held very firmly and in the case of cards and the like may be inserted at the upper portions of adjacent coils or at the side for display or other purposes. Several of the devices can be used to support and display large signs, blue prints, pictures, etc., as at the upper and lower margins of the Work. The device can, of course, be mounted in any position, for instance on a horizontal surface for preventing papers from being blown oif such surface or too readily displaced from the desired position thereon.

In the claims the expression closely wound in reference to the coils of wire does not necessarily mean that the coils normally touch each other although that is the preferred arrangement.

I claim:

l. A device of the class described comprising a base in the form of a disc adapted to be secured to a generally flat surface and having a marginal flange, said flange being interrupted at one side of the disc, and a member in the vnature of a helical spring having a terminal coil coils at the said opposite free end of the spring projecting generally endwise of the spring with its axis disposed transversely of the spring axis to serve as a'handle for spreading the coils apart to work-receiving position.

` 3. A support or clip comprising a helical spring member adapted to support sheets and the like between adjacent coils, and a disc-like supporting bracket at one end of the coil assembly and adapted to be connected to a supporting structure and having a ilange in peripheral frictional contact with the adjacent coaxial terminal coil of the spring member and detachable therefrom by rotation of the coil and bracket relatively in opposite directions about'l their common axis, and the other end of the coil spring member being free.

4. A support or clip according to claim 3 Wherein the disc has a portion extending out of the plane of the disc in the same direction as the flange for additionally peripherally supporting the said terminal coil against displacement laterally of the disc.

5. A support or clip comprising a closely coiled helical spring member adapted to support sheets and the like between adjacent coils, and a disclike supporting bracket at one end of the coil assembly and adapted to be secured against a wall, said bracket having a iiange positioned to face toward such wall when the bracket is supported in operating position on said Wall, said flange being in supporting engagement with a terminal coil of the spring member.

6. A support or clip for demountably carrying sheet material such as paper comprising a closely Wound helical spring having one end free, a supporting base connected to the spring at the other end of the spring and adapted to receive centrally of the spring a fastener, such as a nail or screw, for securing the spring in xed relation to a supporting surface at said other end with the coils generally parallel to the supporting surface, and

6 said base lying substantially within the peripheral limits of said other end of the spring and being substantially concealed by the spring.

7. A spring clip comprising supporting means adapted to be connected to a supporting structure, a helical spring connected at one of its ends to the supporting means and supported thereby and having its other end free, said spring having all of its coaxialconvolutions, between the supporting means and its free end, in end to end resilient contact with each other.

8. A spring clip comprising a support, a helical spring connected at one of its ends to the support and having its other end free, and means rendering said spring uncompressible axially when the spring is supported by said support.

LADIMER M. MOCNIK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 25 1,756,885 Schafer Apr. 29, 1930 1,854,740 Hoag Apr. 19, 1932 1,983,784 Watkins et al Dec. 11, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 30 Number Country Date 243,915 Great Britain Dec. 10, 1925 612,854 Germany May 6, 1935 

